


The One Where There's Not Actually A Secret Exit (And Sky Is A Queen)

by hufflepuffingdemigod



Category: The Unwanteds Series - Lisa McMann
Genre: M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-01-11
Updated: 2021-01-11
Packaged: 2021-03-15 20:13:22
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,837
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28694502
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/hufflepuffingdemigod/pseuds/hufflepuffingdemigod
Summary: what the title says.
Relationships: Alex Stowe/Samheed Burkesh
Kudos: 5





	The One Where There's Not Actually A Secret Exit (And Sky Is A Queen)

Alex glanced over at Sky, Meghan, and Lani, who were chatting excitedly about the play they had just watched. Tapping his foot, he looked to the door leading backstage, where he knew Samheed would be emerging shortly. He decided to go and meet him himself, knowing their friends would be content to just wait in the auditorium.

Sky saw Alex walking backstage and raised an eyebrow.

Alex mouthed something meaningless, trying to confuse her just for fun. "Sugarberries! Platyprot eggs!" he mouthed.

She stared at him in confusion. "What?" she mouthed back.

"Applecorn rhubapple!"

She gestured at him, bewildered.

He grinned wildly and gave her two thumbs up, then backed into the narrow, dimly lit hallway which led behind the stage.

She sighed and turned away, tuning back into Lani and Meghan's conversation.

Alex whistled tunelessly as he walked down the hall. He reached the end of the corridor and gazed into the better-lit area lined with dressing-room doors. He heard rambunctious chatter, loud laughter, and ridiculous, off-key singing.

Did he dare, he wondered, open a door and look for Samheed?

A burst of giggles erupted from behind the thin wood, followed by a loud shriek.

No. He dared not.

He turned and roamed backstage, almost getting knocked over by a blond boy striding past hurriedly, carrying heaps upon heaps of costumes and props, and one, inexplicable hat which was shaped like a fish. Alex vaguely remembered the boy from the Purge a few years before his.

The boy dumped his huge load on a prop table, then raced back down the dressing rooms' hallway.

Alex walked onto the stage, which still was lit by spotlights, though the curtain was closed. Admiring the finely painted sets, he smiled, remembering how he'd helped to make many of them.

"Hey Al."

Alex startled and turned, then raised a hand in greeting. "Samheed, hi." He grinned.

"What are you doing back here?" Samheed wondered. "Not that you can't be, just . . ." he trailed off.

Alex shrugged. "Figured I'd come and wait for you," he said.

"Huh, thanks. Where is everybody?"

"They're waiting out there." Alex gestured vaguely to the space behind the curtain.

"So what did you think of the show?" Samheed asked.

"It was fantastic! We practically laughed our heads off a couple of times, and at one point I think I saw Lani crying, just a little. She glared at me, though, so I didn't comment."

Samheed grinned. "Yeah, it was fun. I can't wait for the next one!"

"Woah there, calm down!" Alex laughed, raising his hands as if to ward off his best friend's excitement. "You just finished this one!"

"Yeah, but the next show is about this prince, and he's got to get married but there's, like, this lowly kitchen boy and they're friends, and they like each other, but the prince is gonna have to marry this girl, and there are all these princesses, like, trying out." Samheed's face lit up, hands gesturing wildly. "And this one girl doesn't want to marry him because she doesn't like people like that, like, romantically, and she would never want to have, like, an heir because she doesn't like people, um, that way either-" Samheed grimaced awkwardly. "-and she's an imposter princess because her parent is actually an evil mage who forced her into this so their child would be next in line, and the girl sees the prince and his boyfriend because he raced out of the throne room all upset after finding out about all the prospective brides, and she warns them about her parent's plan, and the three of them have to go on a quest to-" [an: this is an actual story i'm writing lmao haha i had to include it]

"Hey! Woah, woah, woah! Don't spoil it, man!" Alex laughed. But he loved seeing Samheed get so animated talking about the things he was passionate about. "Sounds interesting. Let me guess: you want to be . . . the prince? Or the kitchen boy?"

Samheed grinned. "Not telling."

"Well, if this show is any indication, I'm sure it'll be brilliant."

Samheed hummed agreement.

"You know, Sam," Alex said, turning to look sideways at his friend. "I think this was actually the best show yet."

Samheed grinned mischievously. "Because you weren't in it, Stowe," he teased slyly, snickering.

Alex feigned indignance, replying dramatically, "Ouch! You wound me, Burkesh!"

He nudged Samheed with his shoulder, giving himself away by grinning broadly.

Samheed shoved him, hard, and Alex toppled back, laughing. "I was actually going to say that it was probably because you directed it, but now . . . Pfft. Why should I?"

Samheed grinned, accepting the compliment anyway. "Thanks."

Alex punched him in the arm. "You're welcome, you big jerk." Then he rubbed his shoulder where he'd whacked it on the corner of one of the backdrops. "That hurts, actually," he muttered. Laughingly, he warned his best friend, "I'll get you for that!"

"Will you, Stowe?" Samheed smirked, delighted.

They tumbled into the hallway leading back into the auditorium, laughing and gasping and wrestling and shouldering each other into the walls.

The hallway was long, and after a few moments, the mood shifted to a more relaxed feeling. They both wore lazy grins on their faces.

Alex, rather boldly, slipped his arm to the left, around Samheed's waist, his heart pounding in his ears. Thankfully, the slightly taller boy didn't question it, but instead slung his right arm around Alex's shoulders.

They walked on for a moment in silence, until Alex sensed Samheed looking at him. He turned his face, and was startled by the intensity of the gaze which he met there.

Samheed's vibrant, fiery orange eyes were filled with a thousand turbulent emotions: frustration and affection, sadness, and something that resembled . . . longing. Was Alex just seeing what he wanted to see? Or . . .

Alex coughed lightly, but didn't look away. Suddenly, he was very conscious of Samheed's arm wrapped around his shoulders, Alex's hand on Sam's hip.

He licked his lips subconsciously. His mouth felt very dry. Samheed's eyes flicked down, just for a second. By now the mood had shifted completely once more, the opposite of the playful banter they'd started with.

And somehow, Alex knew.

"Stowe," Sam started. There was a weird tone in his voice, almost warning.

And then suddenly, Samheed was kissing him.

Alex didn't skip a beat, just kissed him back immediately, like he'd been waiting for this. Which he had.

Samheed's arm slipped down from Alex's shoulders, hand resting on the shorter boy's waist and sliding ever so slightly under the edge of his shirt, behind his robe.

It was nothing like when Sky had kissed him on the pirate ship- Samheed's lips were warm and chapped, and actually moving, not just pressed awkwardly against Alex's, and it didn't feel weird like kissing Sky had been.

One of Alex's hands moved up Sam's spine, reaching the back of his neck and pulling him closer, his thumb brushing Sam's jaw and tilting his head for a better angle. He really didn't want to break the kiss, so he just breathed through his nose. Samheed's tongue ran across Alex's bottom lip, and Alex opened his mouth slightly, letting Sam in.

Stepping forward, Samheed pushed Alex toward the wall of the narrow hallway. Normally, Alex would have felt confined or cornered by someone being so close, but this was okay.

Alex's back was to the wall, and, wrapping his arms around Sam's shoulders, he broke the kiss for a second and looped his legs around Samheed's waist. Samheed caught him, and then Alex kissed him again, running his hand up and down Sam's back and along his broad shoulders.

Alex felt a tingly sort of rush, a swirling feeling in his stomach, being pressed so close between the wall and Samheed's body. It wasn't unpleasant.

He sucked on Samheed's lip, nipping at his bottom one slightly, and almost grinned when Sam made a sort of soft 'mmh'ing sound. He didn't grin, though: that would totally ruin the kiss.

Samheed tasted like sunshine and chocolate- the sunshine was inexplicable, but the chocolate was because he'd eaten quite a lot of it earlier, to keep himself alert during the play.

They were still kissing nearly a minute later, Samheed's fingers threaded through Alex's long dark curls, tugging slightly, when suddenly they pulled apart at the sound of Sky's voice by the entrance to the hall, clearly addressing Meghan and Lani.

"Hold up, you two. I'll go on ahead."

Samheed and Alex stared at each other in panic, but didn't move- Sam didn't seem to know quite what to do with himself. Did he just drop Alex? Was that okay? Would that be rude?

Before either boy could react further, Sky appeared in the doorway. Alex shut his eyes tightly and prepared to die. Of absolute humiliation. Not that he was embarrassed to be kissing Samheed- on the contrary. But it was still awkward.

However, Sky didn't appear surprised by the sight of them. She just raised her eyebrows and smirked.

Alex pleaded with her with his big brown puppy eyes: Don't say anything. Please don't say anything.

Samheed just looked disgruntled.

Mentally, Sky laughed. She was completely over Alex, and it didn't hurt even a little, seeing him with Samheed- whom she had grown to like and respect quite a lot. And Alex looked happy- well, maybe not at the moment. Not when he was so concerned that she'd spill the beans. But still.

She opened her mouth, revelling momentarily in the panicky glances the two boys sent at one another, then called to Lani and Meghan, who were waiting outside the door: "They're not here. They must have gone through the secret exit."

As she turned to leave, she looked back at the boys, Samheed still holding Alex in his arms against the wall.

She winked.

"Thank you," Alex mouthed fervently. "Thank you."

Sky nodded and walked out, a hand on her hip.

As the door closed, Alex faintly heard Lani shrieking, "There's a secret exit?"

He stifled a laugh and kissed Samheed again.

Only a moment later, Sam pulled away. Alex felt a brief rush of disappointment, but he didn't immediately chase after Samheed's lips again, instead leaning his forehead on Sam's. Samheed had the audacity to look betrayed by this, despite having been the one to break the kiss in the first place.

"Alex," he murmured.

"Mmm?"

"What is this?"

Alex pulled back as far as he could to look Samheed square in the eye, squirming a little, but not enough that Sam dropped him.

"What do you want it to be?" he asked earnestly.

Samheed set his jaw, hesitating. "Alex," he started carefully. "Do you want to be my boyfriend?"

Alex grinned so hard he thought his face might crack. "If you want to be mine?"

"You bet."

They both grinned stupidly, and Samheed leaned in and kissed Alex once more.

This time, Alex's brain finally melted all the way down into his socks.


End file.
